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As a key part of our commitment to promoting best practice and best product in hospitality, grill’s specialist resource editor, John Clarke, updates developments in produce, fish and meat supply each issue.
Clarke is well qualified for this role, having huge enthusiasm for raw materials, deep experience in the trade, farmed everything from bulls to goats, as well as being a hunter, chef, launch master, fly fishing guide and jet boating pioneer.
The products and or companies mentioned in this column are there because we at grill believe they are of quality and have value to the industry.
grill would like to thank our sponsors for their financial support and unbiased help in intelligence gathering without which this column would not be possible.
  
  
We also wish to acknowledge the following for their support in the gathering of the unbiased information used in the collation of this information: The Produce Company; Wilson Hellaby; The Auckland Fish Market; Harmony Foods; Neat Meat.
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All in our trade will have noticed that the big producers of eggs and poultry have now well and truly jumped on the free range/organic band wagon and on the face of it this is no bad thing what with better prices and more choice. However we at grill would like to put out a challenge to all producers of free range eggs and poultry; come on, invite us to come to your facility (as some of the smaller producers already have) to see your operation so we can assure our readers that yours are indeed happy little chooks.
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The hospitality industry has a large choice when it comes to suppliers of dry goods and dairy products. These guys range from the truly gigantic distributors (yep, we all know who they are and invariably we have to have at least some sort of relationship with them) to the tiny specialty suppliers out there bashing away trying to give us that something a little bit out of the ordinary (and yep you surely do not know who they all are). It is our job at grill to point you at all these suppliers and constantly remind our trade that not all products are created equal. Take parmigiano reggiano and extra virgin olive oil, go on tell me that just because it is on the label they are of equal quality regardless of price! Yeah right!
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This is the fruity time of the year what with all the berries, melons and the so-called summer fruit that is stone fruit to us peasants.
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If there is ever a good time for game it is over the next few months with lots of feed and animals in prime nick.
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Absolutely the ultimate time for vegetables and you do not have to even attempt to pander to silly customers that expect out-of-season summer vege!
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Right up until the third week in November sea temperatures were down two degrees on the average for the time of year. This has a measurable effect on fish catch, especially the inshore species or those that come inshore during late spring. Flounder have been moribund and slow to come out of hibernation and snapper have been slow to move closer to the coast.
Not to worry though, things are hotting up and prices should come down at least for some species.
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All the hoofed animals are in fine condition and the schedules look to be holding steady – thank goodness for the higher dollar eh? Except for venison that is, supplies are still a little short and the schedules are still at an historic high.
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